Lifestyle - The Korea Times

AROUND TOWN

Classical ConcertsEvgeny KissinSeoul Arts Center*March 30 The immensely popular pianist Evgeny Kissin will perform Schubert’s “Piano Sonata No. 17,” Scriabin’s “Sonata No. 2” and “Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes” at the Seoul Arts Center on March 30. Tickets cost 60,000 to 180,000 won. For more information, call 1577-5255 or visit www.sac.or.kr. ‘11 a.m. Concert’Seoul Arts Center*April 10 Gangnam Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Bae Jong-hun, will perform at the Seoul Arts Center on April 10 with violinist Kim Hyun-mi and bassoonist Lee Min-ho. They will play Mozart’s “Opera Le Nozze di Figaro,” Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21” and Weber’s “Concerto for Bassoon in F Major, Op. 75.” Tickets cost 20,000 to 25,000 won. For more information, call (02) 580-1300 or visit www.sac.or.kr. ‘Singing 100 Years of Folk Songs’Sejong Center for the Performing Arts*April 12 The Seoul Metropolitan Junior Chorus will s

Mar 27, 2014By Baek Byung-yeul

Korea's favorite classical musicians

Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin was chosen as the favorite pianist among the readers of "Gaeksuk,” a performing arts magazine since 1984, in a recent survey. / Courtesy of CrediaSurvey shows noticeable shifts in audience's top picks in last dacadeThe Seoul Philharmonic led by Chung Myung-whun, top, and the late Claudio Abbado were some of the top picks of a latest "Gaeksuk" survey./ Courtesy of Universal MusicBy Do Je-haeJust ten years ago, the KBS Symphony Orchestra was considered the top classical ensemble in the country. A recent survey shows that the nation’s oldest broadcast orchestra has lost that status.This was one of the major findings of a survey for the 30th anniversary of the performing arts magazine “Gaeksuk” released last week. The survey asked its readers to select their favorite orchestras and musicians in January, repeating a similar poll for the monthly publication’s 20th year in 2004.Comparing the two surveys conducted 10 years apart, one can see there are some notable shifts in the preferences of the Korean

Mar 23, 2014By Do Je-hae

Samurai slapstick

The critically-acclaimed “Mushashi,” Hisashi Inoue’s play inspired by the legendary 17th-century Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, opened Friday at the LG Arts Center in southern Seoul. / Yonhap Japanese drama 'Musashi' is fast, fun and inspiring Director Yukio Ninagawa at the news conference at Seoul’s LG Arts Center on Monday / YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yoo“Musashi,” the critically-acclaimed play by the late Hisashi Inoue, will play for only three nights at southern Seoul’s LG Arts Center starting Friday. Those looking for an unforgettable experience should by all means reserve tickets now and read the rest of this article later.The play, directed by reputed Japanese thespian Yukio Ninagawa, is inspired by legendary 17th-century Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, whose duel with younger rival Sasaki Kojiro in 1612 remains a poetic story that’s part history, part myth.According to the story, Musashi killed Kojiro after an epic battle. But Inoue’s play is based on a re-imagination in which Kojiro somehow survives the e

Mar 21, 2014

Supernatural, but not

Meet the technical wizard behind the imaginative 'Ghost: the Musical'By Kwon Mee-yooWhile there have been a slew of musicals based on movies, “Ghost the Musical” is a rare work that convincingly feels like a film.While Ghost, currently playing at the D-Cube Arts center in western Seoul, has been garnering mixed reviews from critics, not many will argue that the musical represents a triumph in the field of live special effects.The famous scenes from the movie are not compromised and sometimes even improved upon. Souls drift away from the bodies of those killed. People pass through doors. A handwritten letter folds itself and floats away from hands, a magical scene created for the musical.‘Ghost’: a high-tech treat for the eyesActors’ costumes are hung on racks backstage. / Courtesy of Seensee CompanyThe local staging of Ghost features top Korean stars such as actor Joo Won as Sam and sexy K-pop songstress Ivy as Molly. But it can be argued that the real star of the show is Yoo Seok-yong, Ghost’s technical manager who controls the manipulative s

Mar 20, 2014By Kwon Mee-yoo

AROUND TOWN 1

Classical Concerts Primo CantanteSeoul Arts Center*March 24 Primo Cantante, comprised of around 70 male vocalists, will perform its 17th concert at the Seoul Arts Center on March 24. Tickets cost 20,000 to 100,000 won. For more information, call (02) 581-5404 or visit www.sac.or.kr. Evgeny KissinSeoul Arts Center*March 30 The immensely popular pianist Evgeny Kissin will perform Schubert’s “Piano Sonata No. 17,” Scriabin’s “Sonata No. 2” and “Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes” at the Seoul Arts Center on March 30. Tickets cost 60,000 to 180,000 won. For more information, call 1577-5255 or visit www.sac.or.kr. Han Hyoung-shilSeoul Arts Center*April 1 Pianist Han Hyoung-shil will hold a piano recital at the Seoul Arts Center on April 1. Hahn will play Bach’s “Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971,” Schubert’s “Impromptu in B flat Major, Op. 142 No. 3” and Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57.” Tickets cost 20,000 won. For more information,

Mar 20, 2014By Baek Byung-yeul

AROUND TOWN 2

ClubsThe OctagonNonhyeon Near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon, this club is notable for its stylish interior and elite clientele. The venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area to satisfy any night out after work or on the weekend. Near exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 516-8847. Club VolumeItaewon Offering a venue for specially-themed weekly events and world-class DJs, Club Volume is located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station. Club Volume was listed by Time magazine among the “10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul.” For more information, call 1544-2635. Once in a Blue MoonApgujeong Once in a Blue Moon is one of the best known and well established jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. It is located between the Hakdong intersection and Galleria department stores in the posh district of Apgujeong. For more information, call (02) 549-5490 or visitwww.onceinabluemoon.co.kr. Club AnswerCheongdam Club

Mar 20, 2014By Baek Byung-yeul

Exhibition will open Dongdaemun center

A journalist examines a painting by Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) painter Jang Seung-eop on Tuesday during a media preview of the “Gansong Culture Exhibition,” which will open on Friday at the Dongdaemun Design Museum in downtown Seoul. / Korea TimesBy Kim Tong-hyungAn exhibition featuring some of the most valuable works in Korean art will highlight a variety of attractions at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), the massive culture center that opens in downtown Seoul, Friday.``The Haerye,’’ a commentary on “Hunminjeongeum,” the original promulgation of the Korean alphabet “Hangul,” produced under King Sejong of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), is the gem of the ``Gansong Culture Exhibition’’ at DDP’s Design Museum.Also to be displayed are two representative pieces of Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392)-era celadon ― the greenish, blue ``maebyeong’’ (plum vase), notable for its curled mouth rim, round shoulder and constricted waist, and the monkey-shaped ink holder, both listed as national treasures. Among Joseon Kingdom

Mar 19, 2014

Reopening tomb of 'heavenly horses'

By Baek Byung-yeul Artifacts from “Cheonmachong,” one of Korea’s best known tombs, will be on display during a rare exhibition in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.Opening today, the exhibit at Gyeongju National Museum features some 1,600 artifacts from the royal tomb of the ancient Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57-A.D. 935).Cheonmachong was built for an unknown king during the late 5th and the early 6th century.  It is the only tomb in Gyeongju, the capital city of Silla, which tourists can enter.   Painting of horse riders on woodFirst excavated in 1973, a total of 11,526 relics were unearthed there including the Silla Gold Crown, designated as National Treasure No. 188 and the Silla Gold Hat, designated as National Treasure No. 189.  Both are on display at the exhibition.The tomb’s name derives from a painting of a flying horse, or “cheonma,” depicted on a birch bark saddle flap discovered in the tomb. The painting, which is designated as National Treasure No. 207, will also be on display.The exhibition includes two other s

Mar 17, 2014By Baek Byung-yeul

Iconic buildings and the fabric of a city

Dongdaemun Design Plaza, designed by world renowned architect Zaha Hadid, will open to the public on March 23. / Courtesy of Virgile Simon Bertran By Lee Hee-kyungWhen Seoul was designated as the World Design Capital (WDC) for 2010 by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design, it inspired new debates on the aesthetics of the city’s modern landscape.Municipal authorities — who have been promoting Seoul as a hip and happening city that deserves to be mentioned along with cool urban destinations such as Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore and Kula Lumpur — felt vindicated by the title.But critics lament that Seoul is a 600-year-old metropolis that doesn’t have much to show for it aside of a few taxidermied palaces and the few patches of “hanok” (traditional houses) that survived ruthless waves of redevelopment.This disconnection of past and present, they say, has resulted in incoherence between architecture, where ultra-modern buildings coexist with some of the least endearing works of architecture found in Asia.Now, the debate is a

Mar 16, 2014

Iconic buildings and the fabric of a city

Korail to recruit foreign honorary ambassadors

The Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) is recruiting “train travel honorary ambassadors” among foreign students in Korea, the company said Friday. Train travel honorary ambassadors will be providing information about train travel in Korea to foreign tourists through social networking services (SNS). Their work will begin in May. The position is open to all foreign students attending local universities or graduate schools in Korea. Registration begins March 17 and will be open through April 4. Application forms are available at the Korail Internet homepage. Applications should be submitted to misscorea@korail.com and selected candidates will be called in for an interview. Final results will be announced on April 14. Selected honorary student ambassadors will be offered free KR Pass, free tickets to board the tourism trains and those with outstanding performance will be awarded with incentives. 

Mar 14, 2014

Arts & Theater